May Trial Set in Panhandle Molestation-Extortion Case

(AP) — A May trial has been scheduled for a Nebraska Panhandle woman accused of extorting money from a man who has acknowledged that he groped the woman’s 7-year-old daughter.

The 30-year-old woman has pleaded not guilty. The Associated Press isn’t identifying the mother in order to protect her daughter’s privacy. The trial is set to begin May 27.

The man involved is 56-year-old Jason Frei, of Potter. In December Frei pleaded no contest to negligent child abuse and attempted witness tampering. His sentencing has been rescheduled to April 2.

Authorities say cellphone messages between Frei and the woman say Frei acknowledged groping the girl while giving her mother a massage in August. Frei told an investigator that the woman was extorting $20,000 from him to help him avoid conviction.